By Martin Graham
Premier League refereeing boss Howard Webb has backed the referees after the match Liverpool’s goal disallowed against Manchester Citysaying his call “wasn’t reasonable.”
Virgil van Dijk A first-half header in Sunday’s 3-0 defeat was later ruled out Andrew Robertson he was deemed to have interfered from an offside position. Referee Chris Kavanagh and assistant Stuart Burt concluded that Robertson’s movement affected the goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarummaa decision that was later confirmed by VAR Michael Oliver.
Liverpool formally contacted the Professional Match Officials (PGMOL) on Monday, arguing that the offside criteria had not been correctly applied and that the goal should have counted.
However, Webb told Match Officials Mic’d Up that the officials’ interpretation was valid, even if opinions differed.
‘Interfering with an opponent’ he explained
Webb laid out the reasoning behind the call, describing the sequence that led to the unauthorized target. He said that as Van Dijk drove the ball towards goal, Robertson, who was offside in the center of the six-yard box, made a clear move to get under the ball.
Although Robertson did not touch the ball, Webb noted that his proximity to Donnarumma and deliberate action to avoid contact created a subjective situation that the referees evaluate.
“The player is very close to the goalkeeper, the ball is going straight at him and he has to get down to avoid it,” Webb said. “Officials felt this move could affect Donnarumma’s ability to react and attempt a save.”
He added that the decision fell into the category of “interfering with an opponent,” one of the more nuanced offside scenarios for officials to interpret.
Why the VAR did not intervene
According to Webb, the Video Assistant Referee reviewed the incident and agreed that the call on the field did not meet the threshold for a “clear and obvious” error.
He explained that VAR’s role was not to reassess the decision entirely, but to determine whether the referee’s decision was clearly wrong. “Only the goalkeeper really knows if he was involved,” Webb said, “but when we see the position of the player and his escape movement so close to the goalkeeper, it’s understandable why the VAR didn’t overturn the call.”
He also noted that interference doesn’t always depend on obstructing a goaltender’s line of sight. Even if Donnarumma could see the ball, the presence and movement of an offside player nearby can cause doubt, influencing the goalkeeper’s reactions.
Webb contrasts the past incident
Liverpool manager Arne Slot compared the episode to a Manchester City goal against Wolves last season, where Bernardo Silva was in an offside position but the goal was eventually allowed after a VAR review.
Webb, however, said the two cases were not identical. He pointed out that in the previous incident, John Stones’ header went straight over Wolves goalkeeper José Sá and not Bernardo Silva, who had moved away from the flight of the ball.
“At the time, there was no clear effect on the goalie,” Webb explained. “Had the ball gone over Silva’s head, possibly causing Sá to hesitate, the same offside decision would have applied. But in this case, the circumstances were different, and the decision to disallow Van Dijk’s goal was consistent with the laws.”
